English 304: Shakespeare: Major Plays (Prof. Boyer)

The best beginning procedure is always to familiarize yourself with the cast of characters and then to read the play (or at least an act or a scene) all the way through so that you know what's happening. The notes can help if you're stuck, but try to get the big picture of a scene before getting bogged down in details. Read through, then go back and clear up details. Then you're ready to think about the questions.

Act 1
Act 2
Act 3
Act 4
Act 5
Return to list of English 304 reading questions 

ACT 1

1.1
1.	What is Orlando's complaint against his brother Oliver? How gentle does Orlando show himself? What does Orlando ask for in 1.1.60-62?
2.	What has happened at court? Where is the old Duke now? Where is his daughter?
3.	Why did Charles the wrestler come to see Oliver? What is Oliver's response?
4.	Why does Oliver so dislike Orlando (1.1.140-144)?
1.2
1.	Why is Rosalind sad? How does Celia try to cheer her up? What happens when they try to rail at Fortune? What does Touchstone contribute to the discussion?
2.	What has already happened in the wrestling matches? Why do Rosalind and Celia try to dissuade Orlando from wrestling?
3.	What happens in the match between Charles and Orlando (1.2.181-186)?
4.	Why is Duke Frederick displeased when Orlando identifies himself?
5.	What happens when Rosalind and Orlando meet? Do they know what has happened to the other?
6.	What does Le Beau tell Orlando about Rosalind? What does he tell Orlando to do? Why?
1.3
1.	Why is Rosalind sad this time?
2.	Why does Duke Frederick banish Rosalind? Is he correct?
3.	Why will Celia go with Rosalind? Where will they go? How will they be disguised? What names will they use? Who will go with them?

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ACT 2

2.1
1.	How well is Duke Senior responding to exile in the forest? What bothers him about hunting deer there?
2.	How does "the melancholy Jaques" respond to the dying stag? What does it mean that he is "melancholy"? Why does Duke Senior especially like to encounter him at times like these?
2.2
1.	What is Duke Frederick's response to the runaways? Whom does he send for?
2.3
1.	What does Adam warn Orlando about? What does Adam offer Orlando? Where are they going?
2.4
1.	Why is Rosalind/Ganymede sad this time?
2.	How "original" is the complaining of Silvius for Phoebe? How "realistic" does Silvius seem as a shepherd?
3.	What is Corin's complaint when Rosalind/Ganymede and Celia/Aliena ask for food and rest? What solution do they propose?
2.5
1.	Why does Jaques say he avoids Duke Senior? What is the joke about his "ducdame" song?
2.6
1.	How does the arrival of Adam and Orlando into the forest parallel that of Rosalind/Ganymede and Celia/Aliena in 2.4? What does Orlando expect from the forest? What kind of place does he take it to be?
2.7
1.	Whom has Jaques seen in the forest? How does Jaques respond? What does Duke Senior say to question Jaques' fittingness to be a fool?
2.	What happens when Orlando enters? What does he expect to find? What does he find instead?
3.	What lessons do Duke Senior and Jaques get from Orlando's sudden appearance?
4.	When Orlando reenters with Adam (2.7.166), tradition says that Orlando is carrying Adam on his back. What does Shakespeare expect the audience to be reminded of? How does this entrance comment on Jaques' famous "seven ages of man" speech that comes just before the entrance?
5.	How does Duke Senior respond to Orlando's presence after he has heard Orlando's story?

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ACT 3

3.1
1.	What problems has Orlando caused for his brother? What does Duke Frederick tell Oliver to do? What penalty does he face if he does not do it? Why is all this ironic?
3.2
1.	What is Touchstone's response to country life? How does it differ from Corin's?
2.	What has Rosalind/Ganymede found on the trees? Does she know who put it there? Do we? How does Touchstone's parody of the poem affect how we understand the scene?
3.	What happens when Celia/Aliena reveals that the lover is Orlando?
4.	What has been the result of the meeting between Orlando and Jaques?
5.	How does Rosalind/Ganymede propose to talk to Orlando? Why does she say he can't be the one putting up the poems? How does she propose to cure his love? How does Orlando respond to the idea?
3.3
1.	Who is Audrey? What do we know about her from this scene? Why won't Sir Oliver Mar-text marry them? What is Jaques' response to the proposed marriage of Audrey and Touchstone? How does this scene comment on what has happened in 3.2?
3.4
1.	What makes Rosalind/Ganymede sad this time? What happened when Rosalind met her father Duke Senior? What diversion does Corin propose?
3.5
1.	How do Silvius and Phoebe fit into the collection of lovers we have met so far? What happens when Rosalind/Ganymede talks to them? How does Phoebe respond to Rosalind/Ganymede?

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ACT 4

4.1
1.	How well do Jaques and Rosalind/Ganymede get along?
2.	How does Rosalind/Ganymede undercut traditional Petrarchan views of love (like "dying for love")? How, in general, would you characterize Rosalind/Ganymede's views about love? Do we understand them differently because we know it is really Rosalind speaking?
3.	What is the effect of the private conversation between Celia and Rosalind at the end of 4.1?
4.2
1.	How does the scene comment on the rest of the play? Why is the scene really here?
4.3
1.	What's making Rosalind unhappy this time?
2.	What message has Phoebe sent to Rosalind/Ganymede via Silvius?
3.	What has happened to Oliver since we saw him last? What has happened to Orlando? What happens to Rosalind/Ganymede as a result?

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ACT 5

5.1
1.	How does Touchstone's handling of his rival comment on other parts of the play?
5.2
1.	How does Orlando respond to Oliver's love of Celia/Aliena? How does Rosalind respond to his new seriousness?
2.	How does the "litany" of Silvius, Phoebe, Orlando, and Rosalind sum up and comment on the themes of the play?
5.3
1.	Who else will be married tomorrow?
2.	How does the song comment on the play's themes?
5.4
1.	What compacts has Rosalind/Ganymede made with the others? What one didn't we know about before?
2.	How do Touchstone and Audrey fit into the scene?
3.	The changing of Ganymede to Rosalind and of Aliena to Celia is understandable. But where did Hymen come from?
4.	What news does Jaques de Boys bring to the group? What is Jaques' response. Why won't he join the celebration?
5.	How does the Epilogue further complicate the gender arrangements of the play?

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